Assessing the Variations in Reward Preference for Local Government Employees in Terms of Position, Public Service Motivation, and Public Sector Motivation

The reward preference of public sector employees has often been evaluated in terms of public service motivation (PSM). The present research, utilizing survey data from 927 municipal employees in Mississippi, reevaluates the importance of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to employees in local government in the light of changes in workforce composition, economic conditions, performance, and accountability that have challenged traditional public management approaches and techniques. PSM and employee position are found to be significantly related to the level of importance currently assigned to reward factors and to extrinsic and intrinsic reward variables in choosing to work for a local government. Minority status is also an important determinant of both PSM and the reward preferences of employees in this data set.